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Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

I'm not fond overly fond of YA books, the few I've read just never really reached me, that was thrown out the window with Daughter of Smoke and Bone.
Laini Taylor wrote at times a poetic story with a lead that is very much a teen, dealing with the at times rapid changes all teens go through in life, sometimes bitchy, selfish, heartbreaking going down the path to adulthood Karou goes through this and more, growing up in the little shop that deals out wishes for teeth, raised by chimera. Karou uses the magic of the shop to travel the world in order to gather all of these teeth. Karou goes through life between this world of chimera and her everyday life, the balance act she tries to live with topples when she runs across a fiery angel by the name of Akiva. All the blinders she's lived with is torn from her eyes, and in a short time her life is changed.

I really loved Karou, she wasn't overly emotional, but she did have her moments- which I think anyone whom remembers their teens years can understand perfectly. I loved that, as it was easy to step into Karou's shoes and understand where she came from. There's alot of learning curve Karou deals with as her chimera family has kept her in the dark for good reason, and when everything comes out, it knocks in the wind out of the reader, but makes a sad beautiful sense.

The story also dealt with the issue of prejudice. Which was done wonderfully, because like the old saying You never know a man unless you walk in their shoes. When Karou meets Akiva this issue pops up, and Taylor does a great job of showing all sides of the issue without sugar coating it, but giving the reader a chance to see more then the black and white but the whole picture.

Laini Taylor shows what an amazing author by portraying the flip side of love and the instant-soup- love that's so pronounce in many YA books, that not everything is so rose-colored as they seem to be.

What truly capture me was the setting, the jewel-box Prague and it’s nooks and how LT gave feeling, depth to every place and person. Her description at times alone were just amazing

“Her other brother had shocked the family by going into the army, but Zuzana had puppets in the bllod and was carrying on the family tradition”

The ending was a suckerpunch in the gut, the feeling of dread has the reader guessing as to what will be reveled and is it a doozy! But yet leaves you wanting to see what would happen next!

The Daughter of Smoke and Bone made me a fan easy of Laini Taylor and renewed my faith in the YA genre!

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